Eggplant and Chick Pea Sauté

This dish is one of those happy accidents, when you throw a bunch of stuff into a pan and hope for the best. All the flavors and textures that ended up in the pan this time complement each other so well. It turned out to be a healthy, yummy, vegetarian dish.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large eggplant

Sea salt

1 yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves (divided,) minced

1 large can (about 2 c) chick peas, drained, rinsed

1 tsp lemon zest

Handful of fresh herbs, chopped*

Freshly-ground black pepper

*Parsley, dill, basil and/or cilantro.

Partially peel the eggplant (I like the texture. Peel entirely if desired.) and cut into ¾” cubes. Toss with a generous amount of sea salt and let stand for 15 min (to draw out the bitterness.) Then rinse and drain.

Heat the oil on medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the onion and 2/3 of the garlic. Sauté 3 min and add eggplant. Season with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper, stir and partially cover with lid. Sauté for 10-12 min until softened and browned, stirring frequently. Add chick peas and sauté for 2 more min. Add zest, herbs and the remaining garlic. Stir. Re-season if necessary. Enjoy.